Inclusion Infusions: Land Acknowledgements

Posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2020

This Sunday, June 21st, is National Indigenous Peoples Day. Every member of the Algonquin College community has heard a land acknowledgement used at the start of nearly every event we host. I’m going to take some space in today’s blog to reflect on why we do them, why they matter, and what you need to know about doing a respectful land acknowledgement.

A territorial or land acknowledgement is an act of reconciliation that involves making a statement recognizing the traditional territory of the Indigenous peoples who called the land home before the arrival of settlers, and in many cases still do call it home. A land acknowledgement done at the beginning of ceremonies, lectures, or any public event is a way to insert an awareness of Indigenous presence and land rights in everyday life. It can be a subtle way to recognize the history of colonialism in the very place a group is gathering. At Algonquin College we recommend starting with the following outline:

Algonquin College would like to acknowledge that today’s (your event) is taking place on the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin people. Traditionally known as “Anishinabe”, Algonquin people are the original inhabitants of the wide swath of territory along the Ottawa River.

In Algonquin culture, it is appropriate for guests to acknowledge the hospitality of their hosts when entering their territory. With this tradition in mind, (name of your Company) respectfully thanks the Algonquin people for hosting us on their ancestral lands. Meegwetch (thank you).

To go beyond simply reading a token script is a best practice, and is an advancement along the journey toward reconciliation. Anishinaabe writer Hayden King suggests that beyond acknowledging the land, the speaker should also describe what they intend to do about it. The hard work of reconciliation asks us to consider partially self-writing the acknowledgement — reflecting the personal circumstance of speaker and the audience or event. He encourages the speaker to disclose their positionality and what the acknowledgement personally means to them. They should address how the land acknowledgement speaks to the event in question and also how the organizer of the event intends to better serve — in concrete terms — the Indigenous people and the land that they acknowledge. You can listen to him express this idea in his own words here: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1428298307797

To thoughtfully prepare an in-depth acknowledgement requires time and care. You may find it helpful to reflect on and research questions such as:

  • How does this acknowledgement relate to the event or work you and the group are doing?
  • What is the history of this territory? What are the impacts of colonialism here?
  • How did your family come to Canada, and on what land did they settle? What is your relationship to this territory?

If you would like to be able to conduct a land acknowledgement when you aren’t on our Woodroffe campus, you may enjoy the app ‘Whose Land’. Whose Land is a web-based app that uses GIS technology to assist users in identifying Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities across Canada. The app can be used for learning about the territory your home or business is situated on, finding information for a land acknowledgement, and learning about the treaties and agreements signed across Canada. You can get it in the app store for free!


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